Building Up to Reach Out
HVMC celebrated our 11th Anniversary in July 2023 and we reaffirmed our Mission and Call through the church camp held earlier in May 2023 to be “A People of Influence”, with an emphasis on reaching ACS (International). With renewed clarity and focus, we will be putting forward our directions for the next three years, and a new vision verse to guide us from 2024 to 2026.
VISION
“Nourished to Flourish: Building Up & Reaching Out to Every Generation”
3-YEAR DIRECTIONS from 2024 - 2026
2024 - Building Up to Reach Out (Equipped to Share the Gospel & be Welcoming)
2025 - Building Up for Transformation (Connected to Life Groups & Serving in HVMC)
2026 - Reaching Out to Every Generation (Released to be Disciples who make Disciples)
Our three-year directions build upon the foundations we have laid in the last two years, and allow us to give more energy in each year to the different elements relating to our vision, and help us to channel our resources and give attention to specific areas of growth. Additionally, from 2024, we will have a new vision verse taken from John 15:5 (NIV),
“I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.”
In this verse, Jesus teaches his disciples of the essential connection that exists between him as the vine and us as the branches. Our ability to bear fruit is thus intricately tied to us remaining in him. This underscores the importance of being deeply rooted in Christ, and growing as disciples through active engagement with God’s Word, worship, prayer and fellowship. As disciples of Jesus, our commitment to these establishes the basis for our flourishing. And our flourishing extends beyond our individual spiritual growth, to involve our participation in the growth of those around us, reaching out and building up others, through service and evangelism.
Our vision then, Nourished to Flourish: Building Up & Reaching Out to Every Generation, signals our responsibility as disciples who make disciples, by remaining in Christ and bearing fruit. In our context on the campus of ACS (International), this calls us to invest in the mentoring and development of future generations, so that the transformative power of the Gospel reaches all in our community. Through this vision and direction, I believe that we will grow to better express both Jesus’ commandment and commission as a church, to build up one another, to love God and neighbour, and to reach out to others, making disciples of all generations.
DISCIPLESHIP LIFECYCLE
To help us visualise our vision, we have also adopted a new Discipleship Lifecycle which illustrates our vision of Nourish to Flourish and helps to capture the various elements involved in our discipleship process. While we recognise that everyone’s discipleship journey is unique, the Lifecycle demonstrates how we all need to remain in Christ at each stage of our journey, so that we can bear much fruit. Over the course of this year, we will begin to expand on each quadrant of the diagram, and work to orient all of our ministries around the Lifecycle, so that every member of our church family sees and understands their role in the vision of Nourish to Flourish, and unite around our Mission and Call to Build Up and Reach Out to Every Generation.
For our 2024 direction “Building Up to Reach Out”, our sermon series this year will be :-
| 1 & 2 Peter (Jan-Feb, Apr-Jun) | Building a Royal Priesthood |
|---|---|
| Sacraments (Feb-Mar) | Building our Church Family |
| Ruth (Aug-Sep) | Building a Hospitable Community |
| God and Family (Oct-Nov) | Building Godly Families |
This series should prompt us to examine our faith and practices and challenge us to open ourselves to reach others. We continue to encourage every Life Group and ministry group to join us in our sermon series with our weekly study materials for individual and group reflection.
Additionally, our annual Life Groups Convention on 1 May will be held around the theme of “Building Up to Reach Out”, to equip our Life Groups to welcome others and become platforms where the Gospel can be shared with others in a hospitable environment.
In June, we hope to run a combined Youth Ministry and ACS (International) Christian Fellowship camp, which will build upon our strong partnership with the school and challenge our students in ACS (International) and the youth in our church to see the importance of reaching their own generation for Jesus Christ.
In December, we plan to continue our outreach efforts to our neighbours which we began in 2023, with carolling and other activities to invite them to share in the joy of Christmas.
May God grant us the grace to not only successfully run these events, but to carry in our hearts a deep compassion for the lost and be built up to reach out to them.
I pray that with the introduction of the new three-year directions, vision verse and Discipleship Lifecycle, all of us will become ever more cognisant of the need to remain and abide in Christ to bear fruit. Ultimately, it is the work of the Holy Spirit that will bring about the fruit which God desires for our church and community. To that end, my prayer is that as we begin 2024, we will keep close to our hearts the words of the Apostle Peter in 1 Peter 4:8-10,
“Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins.”
Show hospitality to one another without grumbling. As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace.” May God strengthen us and give us the grace to be faithful to our vision and directions.
To God be the Glory, the Best is Yet to Be. Amen.
Pastor Jeremy Ong
Pastor-in-Charge
